Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy has revealed that former star fullback and incoming Queensland State of Origin coach Billy Slater will be a success with a clipboard in hand.
Constant speculation has mounted surrounding the future of Bellamy, who has coached the Storm for almost 20 years, becoming one of the most successful stewards in the game.
Despite signing a new five-year extension from the start of this year, Bellamy can, at any point, decide to move to a back room role with the Storm and give up the day to day running of the football team.
While the Storm previously asked for a decision by the end of March on Bellamy's plans for the following year, chairman Matt Tripp extended the deadline, with the club desperate to keep the mastermind in the role during a period of transformation for the club.
Following the exits of Josh Addo-Carr, Nicho Hynes and Dale Finucane this year, already Brandon Smith, Kenneath Bromwich, Felise Kaufusi and Jesse Bromwich have signed contracts elsewhere for 2023.
If Bellamy is to hang up the clipboard however, Slater has been touted as a potential to take over despite his standing with the Queensland State of Origin team, where he has a fulltime role.
Slater was selected to replace Paul Green, who wanted to chase an NRL role and couldn't fulfil that and his Origin job at the same time.
Bellamy told reporters however that he believes Slater doesn't need an apprenticeship as an assistant coach due to his standing in the game.
"I think for different people it's different circumstances," Bellamy said of Slater being an assistant coach first.
"For me, I probably felt it was probably a good thing for me as that's the sort of person I am and the way I do things and handle things.
"For Bill, because he's been in the game so long and has been such a great player and play a lot of rep footy under a lot of coaches, he probably wouldn't need as long as most people as far as the apprenticeship goes.
"He starts in a different role with Origin this year so it would be interesting to see how he goes with it and how he enjoys it.
"It will be something for Bill to decide but I'm sure if he wants to go that way he will be a huge success."
Bellamy also confirmed he would not be involved in making the call on the Storm's next coach.
"That won't be my choice," he said.
"If the board wants my advice I'm sure they will ask but that's not part of my job description to appoint the new coach, that will be up to the board."
Let me get this right:
Paul Green resigned as Maroons coach because he wanted to try and get an NRL head coach job, and realised that it would be too hard to hold down both roles. He might well have drawn that conclusion from watching Craig Bellamy – no slouch as a coach – lose seven of the nine SOO matches that he coached in 2008-2010.
Billy Slater, despite having had zero coaching experience as an NRL assistant coach or head coach, was appointed to the Queensland SOO head coach position six months ago. He hasn’t actually coached a game with that team, but presumably he feels he has learned enough from Josh Hannay to skip the actual Origin coaching, and make the jump to an NRL Head Coach job. Mr Bellamy thinks that because he was a great player and has played under “lots of” coaches, he is eminently qualified to take over as Head Coach at the Storm.
Kevin Walters, another great player, had the sense to spend fifteen years as Head Coach and as Assistant Coach (including SOO Head Coach) before he felt competent and confident enough to take the Broncos Head Coach role. Like Paul Green, he had the sense to realise that trying to do both jobs at the same time was not a good plan. Craig Fitzgibbon (Clive Churchill medal winner etc) spent ten years as an Assistant Coach (and coached NSW Country for a season) before taking an NRL Head Coach job.
There is a world of difference between Origin coaching – essentially, grabbing the best fit players from any club – and coaching a club – building a roster, managing egos, and motivating players whose primary concern is money not glory. Origin is “one-off”; Club coaching is “long-haul”.
And one other thing. Does Billy Slater recognise that coming to coach at the club with a squad that has a bunch of guys with whom he has played is going to introduce its own problems? I doubt it.
I don’t think Billy Slater is ready to coach an NRL Club, even with Craig Bellamy at his shoulder.